The present invention relates generally to the field of magnetic tape libraries, and more particularly to wirelessly handling tape cartridges in an automated tape library.
Magnetic tape data storage (e.g., an automated tape library) is a system for storing digital information on magnetic tape using digital recording. Modern magnetic tape is most commonly packaged in cartridges and cassettes. The tape drive is the device that performs writing or reading of data on the magnetic tape. Autoloaders automate cartridge handling and provide increased speed for accessing data. Several components in the cartridge handling system, including the x-y-z driver, x-slider, y-slider, and gripper, are connected via a flat, or ribbon, cable. A common cassette-based format is Linear Tape-Open (LTO). The LTO format is available in a variety of densities and is manufactured by several companies.